Yesterday was just like any other day, it was a Friday the weather was decent it was a good day. It was also like any other day because violence once again erupted in my community. Hearing shots fired is nothing new but when I hear shots fired in my community my first thoughts are is it someone in my family or is it one of my students or former students.  This time it was one of my former students. When the emergency workers arrived they didn’t exit their vehicles with urgency even though  a young man was sitting on the ground bleeding. They came with the expectation that another person was killed and that it was just another casualty.  One of the workers even commented that “this was just another day.” Murder has become just another day in Chicago.   A few years ago the corner that I live on was dubbed the Killing Corner and was on the from page of the Chicago SunTimes. The spirit of violence is alive and well in Chicago. It is thriving and operating through many men and women in this city. King Solomon says that there is nothing new under the sun. We can trace violence back to the first family of mankind. Cain slew his brother Abel in a murderous act.  Violence is recorded all throughout history in many instances. I honesty don’t think violence will ever stop since it is so ingrained in our dna however, I do believe that many of the instances that we see can be prevented. Many people say they have solutions to the problem of violence but I have yet to see any one approach work.  This is spiritual warfare and you can’t fight a spiritual war with a handheld weapon.  Does that mean that I am advocating we just sit on our hands and pray? Absolutely not, I personally believe that praying without working is ineffective and shows a lack of faith. I believe that you should put your request in to God and go to work. I am advocating that we stop seeing the violence that we are experiencing as just another problem because it isn’t. That’s my 2 cents on the matter. Feel free to chime in on the discussion and come up with some realistic solutions as well.  You can follow us on all social media at @Mropenyonated.  Like our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/Mr.Openyonated/?fref=ts